Western Ghats Protection Council (WGPC), an environmental organisation, is preparing to launch agitations against the construction of the proposed Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel road, an alternative to the Thamarassery Ghat Road linking Kozhikode and Wayanad districts.
The organisation will submit a representation to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) by April-end seeking to stop all activities related to the construction of the proposed project.
Speaking to the media, Varghese Vattekkattil, president of the organisation, said the State government had launched preliminary work for the proposed 6.8-km tunnel road, which connects Swargamkunnu in Kozhikode district and Kallady in Wayanad, without conducting the environmental impact study and assessment of possible damage to biodiversity and loss of water sources.
Though the State government had given the green signal for the ₹658-crore four-lane tunnel road project, it is yet to clarify doubts raised by environmental organisations in the district. Swargamkunnu is located 52 metres above the sea level and Kallady is 784 metres above the sea level. But, there is no clarity on overcoming such a steep gradient, he said.
However, a sum of ₹20 crore had been allotted to the Konkan railway authorities to conduct a feasibility study and obtain essential permissions from the Union government for executing the project.
The proposed tunnel road is planned through landslip-prone sites such as Puthumala, Mudakkai, and Kavalappara. It is feared that the construction will adversely affect drinking water sources on hill slopes and the farming community in both districts.
A ban imposed by the District Disaster Management Authority in 2015 on mining and huge structures is applicable to the project, Mr. Vattekkattil said. The organisation will conduct a people’s debate at MGT Auditorium here on April 16 and suggestions will be submited to the NDMA.
The meeting would also decide the course of action in the future, Mr. Vattekattil said.
